40-Year-Old Murder Mystery Finally Solved

One of New Hampshire’s darkest murder mysteries has finally reached a turning point. After more than four decades, authorities have identified the last unknown victim in the infamous Bear Brook murders — and the revelation exposes deeper layers of a chilling family tragedy.

New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella confirmed on Sunday that the final victim has been identified as Rea Rasmussen, the biological daughter of convicted serial killer Terry Peder Rasmussen and a woman named Pepper Reed, who vanished in the late 1970s.

“This case has weighed heavily on New Hampshire and the entire nation for decades,” Formella said. “Today, with Rea Rasmussen’s identification, we can finally give all four victims their names back.”

The Bear Brook murders shocked the country when the first gruesome discovery was made in 1985. Hunters stumbled upon a barrel containing the remains of an adult woman and a young girl in Bear Brook State Park. Fifteen years later, in 2000, a second barrel was found nearby — holding the remains of two more young girls.

For decades, the identities of the victims — and their killer — remained a mystery.

Rasmussen, who used multiple aliases including “Bob Evans” and “Curtis Kimball,” was finally linked to the murders through DNA evidence in 2017. He had already been convicted of killing his girlfriend, Eunsoon Jun, in California and died in prison in 2010 while serving a sentence of 15 years to life.

Authorities believe Rasmussen may have killed at least six people across multiple states, including New Hampshire, California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon, and Virginia.

“Every time we peel back a layer of this case, we find something more disturbing,” said New Hampshire State Police Detective Sgt. Christopher N. Elphick. “This wasn’t just about one murder — this was a web of violence stretching across the country.”

The breakthrough came after the New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit partnered with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project in early 2024. Using cutting-edge forensic genealogy techniques, investigators traced Rea’s DNA to Rasmussen and Pepper Reed.

Rea was born in 1976 in Orange County, California. Her mother, Pepper Reed — born in Texas in 1952 — disappeared sometime in the late 1970s and has never been found. Investigators now believe she may have also been murdered by Rasmussen.

“This identification is a testament to science, persistence, and teamwork,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General Benjamin J. Agati. “But while it provides some measure of closure, it also reminds us that Pepper Reed is still missing, and the full scope of Rasmussen’s crimes is far from understood.”

Despite solving the identity mystery, investigators stress that the case is not over. Authorities are urging anyone with information about Rasmussen’s movements between 1974 and 1985 — especially in the states where he lived and worked — to come forward.

“Rasmussen lived under at least five known aliases,” explained R. Christopher Knowles, head of the Cold Case Unit. “We need the public’s help to piece together where he went and who else may have been harmed.”

The breakthrough comes amid a growing debate under President Donald Trump’s second administration over federal funding for DNA genealogy databases. While many Democrats argue that cases like Bear Brook prove the life-saving value of these tools, privacy advocates have raised concerns over expanding government access to genetic records.

“Without forensic genealogy, this little girl would still be nameless,” Agati said. “The question is, how many other cold cases are still waiting for justice?”